SUMMARY:

This article compares regimes of territorial control in national parks in Europe and Russia. The analysis shows that in the Russian context, emphasis is put on interaction between national parks inspectors and actual or potential violators. All other activities of national parks personnel as well as corresponding legislature are framed by this conflict. In European national parks the pattern of territorial control is drastically different: legislation, structural arrangements and practices of national parks are designed to prevent direct contact between rangers and national parks visitors. The author approaches the national park as a system of multiple interactions and proposes an in-depth analysis of six case studies of national parks. The article concludes that the European system of territorial control in national parks developed as a result of tourism, while in the case of Russia it grew out of the practices of hunting and gathering and was influenced by post-Soviet ethno-territorial conflicts.